In 2005 I purchased a pair of Patagonia Performance Underwear. I still have them and wear them about once a week. They look nearly new without fraying, tears, added holes or any other problems. I can not be absolutely certain but I believe that they are the only pair of underwear that I have that are that old. Most others tend to wear out in the crotch area where the thighs meet the groin area, others tend to lose the elasticity in the waistband.

I still remember buying them, they were being marketed as adventure wear that would last a very long time, require minimum maintenance and could be hand washed, wrung out and air dry in a few minutes. They were $17 a pair so I was leery. Since they seem to last at least three times as long as regular underwear they have turned out to be a good buy.

I don't know if Patagonia still produces the same quality stuff today but I would recommend them if they do.

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I nearly always wear out the elastic before anything else, I might get a few holes here and there but many of my underwear succumb to the classic sound of elastic being stretched for the last time followed by the tiny puff of elastic dust. Polyester undies will outlast cotton ones by many many years if the elastic doesn't fail, some elastic lasts much longer then others but I haven't been able to tell which is which. Some of my regularly circulated cotton undies lasted around 10 years, at perhaps one wear every 2 weeks. Some of the elastic failures I'm convinced are from age and not use, I'm tempted to set a new pair aside and see if just straight oxidation will limit the lifespan to that of a worn pair. it also seems that the elastic inside of fabric covered waistbands tends to be cheaper then the exposed elastic kind, but that is from a pretty small sample size and might not be true across the board.

PCU level 1 boxer briefs can be had fairly inexpensively on eBay, but probably not any cheaper then an end of season sale at patagonia, ex officio or underarmour. I bought some surplus kevlar undies on a whim to see how long they'd last, but if the lifespan is elastic limited I might not find out for sure.

I'm wondering if a fabric band and a drawstring might be the answer for ultimate long-term undie durability, might have to retrofit some of my more durable pairs and compare.

_________________share your tobacco and your kindling, but never your sauna or your woman.

So, thought I would weigh in on the underwear thing as a lady-type person. As I thought about it, have undies as old as Stercutus' which are still in good condition and not worn much at all. And not "fancy" ones either that only get worn on special occasions, lol. They get worn pretty frequently. Many of my female friends also have undies they've had forever which are in good condition. Main issue with female underwear are period stains.

However, my husband goes through underwear like crazy. And so do a lot of my guy friends. Holes in the crotch area and elastic giving out. I have often wondered about this disparity (because I can't shut my stupid brain up and I think about strange things in general). My guess is that male underwear typically lasts a shorter time (at least in good condition) because male anatomy has more friction against the fabric on a regular basis. Mentioned this theory to a few male friends and they agreed.

_________________"When you can't run, you crawl, and when you can't crawl..." "You find someone to carry you."

So, thought I would weigh in on the underwear thing as a lady-type person. As I thought about it, have undies as old as Stercutus' which are still in good condition and not worn much at all. And not "fancy" ones either that only get worn on special occasions, lol. They get worn pretty frequently. Many of my female friends also have undies they've had forever which are in good condition. Main issue with female underwear are period stains.

However, my husband goes through underwear like crazy. And so do a lot of my guy friends. Holes in the crotch area and elastic giving out. I have often wondered about this disparity (because I can't shut my stupid brain up and I think about strange things in general). My guess is that male underwear typically lasts a shorter time (at least in good condition) because male anatomy has more friction against the fabric on a regular basis. Mentioned this theory to a few male friends and they agreed.

I agree with this. Plus, I think making contours for men's underwear to fit the anatomy is difficult i.e. expensive. That's why the typical Hanes and Fruit of the Loom packaged undies from WalMart get destroyed so fast. They don't put a lot of effort into underwear that conforms. I also think men don't like to spend a lot on underwear. My girlfriend will drop $15-20 on one pair of fancy stuff, when I get a pack of 6 for $12... clearly her's last longer.

Expensive underwear with seams and pouches avoid excess rubbing and friction by contouring more, which means they last longer, generally.

Basically, I have some Under Armour stuff that looks brand new because it has a pouch for my junk. But my Hanes bulk pack will get destroyed in about 3 months of being in rotation.